


Playing For The Other Team

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Background Relationships, Chatting & Messaging, Developing Friendships, FLARP, Gen, Other, Pre-Sgrub, Role-Playing Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-02 06:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tavros and Terezi form a temporary FLARP team to try and distract themselves from the war raging in their friend group, the same war that blinded Justice and made Pupa fly. They fight valiantly! They spare the weak! They realize that they're a pretty good team and fully succumb to that troll disease called friendship.Until, of course, it all goes wrong again.





	Playing For The Other Team

**Author's Note:**

> Yes! Homestuck in my good 2019. I'm really excited about this one! It's multi-chaptered wish fulfillment because Terezi and Tavros' dynamic was never really as developed as I wanted it to be. Expect semi-regular updates until September. Then they will get more sporadic but I still plan for at least twice a month until it is completed. Thanks and welcome to Playing for The Other Team! 
> 
> Also, the quirking is only going to happen for chat conversation. It will not happen when they talk in a call or face to face.

Tavros was scared.

Well, okay. You might need a little more context than that. Tavros was known for being scared. Cowardice was sort of his motif, like Equius' strength or Sollux's duality or Nepeta's roleplaying. His just... wasn't as cool, that's all. Every suave subjuggulator needed a skippy sidekick, and Tavros suspected that's what his role was. Just the skippy sidekick. 

Sad thoughts like this used to be easy to deter. He would merely call up his friend Aradia, the other half of his (former) FLARPing group Team Charge, and chat for a bit about whatever was on his mind. He was prone to rambling and she was a great listener, so it worked out nicely. However, recently, he's been met with none of the exuberance and charm of his team member. She's been flat. It's worse than radio static. Of course, he still loves to message her, but it's hard when everything is just... okay. He wants more than okay, and that's why he's scared. It all comes full circle.

He could contact some of his other friends! Of course, that's a good idea. Gamzee would always be up to chat with him, perhaps spit the sickest of fires, but it was kind of risky. Gamzee could be asleep and he could be left hanging for hours, or go off on some sort of miracle-esque tangent that would probably end in Tavros questioning his own mortality, and maybe even the concept of mortality itself. 

Oh, he isn't online anyways. There goes the best friend option. Tavros scrolls through his list of online options. Karkat? No, too scary. Nepeta? She's really nice and likes to play games, but he's allergic, and that can break the immersion of her roleplaying sometimes. He'll file her in the 'maybe' option. Kanaya's busy, which is certifiably a bummer. She's also really nice, and teaches him about confidence! He wishes he could give her a hug sometimes because she's super cool. She's probably wrapped up in something helpful, or maybe meddlesome. That's what Vriska called it, anyway. Tavros doesn't think that's quite right, but that's not the point.

Terezi...

Terezi seems to be online. Tavros isn't really her best friend, but they can talk and they have friends in common, so that should count for something. The only drawback is the FLARPing. 

Tavros and Terezi used to be on opposing teams in that live action role-playing game, before a series of accidents that led to Tavros losing the use of his legs and his acquaintance becoming blinded. Maybe she isn't the best option then. He didn't want to infect old wounds with the incessant scratching of his general social awkwardity, and if he reaches out to her that may very well be exactly what would happen. 

GC: H3Y N3RD

Tavros blinks. Terezi isn't a mind reader, is she? He knows she can taste sight, but maybe she's acquired the ability to know when someone else is thinking about her, as well. Now wouldn't that be awkward? Tavros hopes that isn't true. Maybe he should stop thinking about her. He makes a conscious effort to, but the message is up on his husktop, which is resting on the desk in front of him, so he really has no choice but to answer it. 

AT: hELLO, tHAT'S ME, tHE NERD, hAHA,,

Eloquent, as usual. He regrets the reply as soon as he presses send, but what else is new? That's just how things are for Tavros. He's grown used to it by now. Like a pair of shoes that are a little too tight. It's uncomfortable, but you learn how to deal with them after a while. Not like Tavros can really, you know, feel if his shoes are too tight, which actually was a little bit of a problem a while ago because his feet were swelling and he's pretty sure he almost cut off circulation to those particular appendages and died, but maybe this isn't the time to go into that. And he should turn his focus back to his husktop, which has just pinged again, signifying a response from his Legislacerator-minded acquaintance. 

GC: WOW  
GC: JUST 4S W31RD 4S 1 R3M3MB3R3D >:P

Confidence inspiring. Tavros should really just end the conversation now. He just seems to goof everything up and make everything awkward! It's honestly a wonder anyone can stand to be around him, even his imaginary friend, which he shouldn't have, because only trolls with low self-worth (or no worth at all to anyone) have imaginary friends, according to Vriska; but according to Kanaya, who is apparently a raging bitchy meddler that Tavros really shouldn't associate with, having an imaginary friend to better yourself is all very rational and helpful and is a good response to feeling low. Tavros really doesn't know who to believe, but he defers to Vriska because she can control lhis actions and stuff. That's a rational response, he thinks, confidence or no.

GC:4NYW4YS  
GC: 1V3 B33N BOR3D R3C3NTLY  
GC: WH4T H4V3 YOU B33N DO1NG? 1 H4V3NT H34RD FROM YOU S1NC3  
GC: YOU KNOW

She hasn't heard from him because, well, Taros hasn't really been talking to that part of his friend group. She talks to Karkat a lot. When Vriska lofted Tavros off a cliff, he texted Karkat, The aggressive young troll had told him to stop playing games for girls. He didn't pay Tavros a second thought. He's been a bit skittish to talk to most people since that. It hurts sometimes to not be taken as seriously as other people his age, he thinks. Definitely doesn't help the confidence he has. Gamzee has been his comfort, and Kanaya reached out to him every now and again.

AT: i'M OKAY, yOU KNOW, jUST BEEN, uH, lIVING THE LIFE, pLAYING, fIDUSPAWN WITH TINKERBULL, wHICH IS FUN, aND SAFE, 

GC: T4VROS TH4TS TH3 MOST BOR1NG TH1NG 1V3 3V3R H34RD

AT: wELL, i, lIKE IT ACTUALLY,

AT: i, mIGHT ACTUALLY, gET BACK TO DOING THAT,

GC: W41T

And he waited. Of course he waited.

GC: LOOK

GC:1T JUST K1ND OF B1T3S TH4T 4LL TH1S SH1TTY STUFF H4PP3N3D 4ND 1 N3V3R GOT TO PL4Y FL4RP W1TH YOU

GC: L1K3 4CTU4LLY CLOUD FOR YOU

GC: 1T WOULD H4V3 B33N FUN TO PL4Y W1TH YOU

Tavros doesn't like to think about that possibility. It sometimes makes him feel like everything was his fault, kinda. And that is definitely not cool.

AT: i, aGREE, tHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN, rEALLY FUN,

GC: SO WH3N DO YOU W4NT TO ST4RT

AT: wHAT,

GC: PL4Y1NG TH3 G4M3 NUMBNUTS

AT: nEVER,

He's royally confused. Terezi had formally sworn off the game, and Tavros had sort of followed suit. He definitely didn't want to be physically playing the game anymore, especially if it meant a Scourge Sister would still be clouding for him. That would stir up too many old memories, ones that he'd been trying to bury deep down for the last quarter of a sweep. Charge and Scourge were no more. He didn't want to play, and he was putting his foot down about that. 

AT: i, hAVE TO GO, i, tHINK, bECAUSE, i, dONT REALLY KNOW HOW TO CONTINUE, tHIS CONVERSATION, sO, bYE,,

GC: F1N3  
GC:1F YOU CH4NG3 YOUR M1ND YOU KNOW WH3R3 TO F1ND M3  
GC: 1LL B3 W41T1NG >;]

Tavros ceased trolling her, his hands shaking to the point where he dropped his husktop and fiduspawn cards on the floor, narrowly missing Tinkerbull. The lusus flew around agitatedly. "Oh, I'm sorry Tinkerbull, uh, I'll be more careful." Tinkerbull flew into his arms and he pet his caretaker gently, smiling to himself.

"What do you think, Tink? Should I, I don't know, give Terezi a chance? She's isn't, you know, a bad troll, and, maybe this isn't a trap or anything. And I miss talking to her, just as a friend, you know?" The bull just nuzzled into Tavros' chin. The troll sighed. "I, I miss everyone, I know things weren't ever, you know, good, but they were at least not _so_ bad." He's happy no one else can hear him ramble like this. Tinkerbull never judged him. 

"What should I do?" The small bull looked up to his charge, before wriggling free of Tavros' grasp. He flutters away. into a different room. Tavros follows him warily, being sure to avoid the incubators for the creatures in his card game. Tinkerbull flutters past the small, cramped ablution block and into Tavros' respiteblock. To one of Tavros' lances that he used as a Boy Skylark. The lusus gently settled near the base of the lance. He looked up to Tavros with the strangest expression Tavros had ever seen a lusus make, before closing his eyes and promptly falling asleep. 

Tavros smiled. 

"Okay! I-If you say so."


End file.
